In an ending beforehand solely seen in films like “Vehicles,” NASCAR noticed a three-wide end Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway — a digital tie that was determined by lower than one hundredth of a second.
Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez barely beat Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch within the Ambetter Well being 400, giving the Mexican driver his second profession victory within the Cup Collection because the three vehicles fanned out throughout the end line.
Are you able to consider this end!? 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/zKwqYNRQbG
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 26, 2024
The consequence was a direct on the spot basic for NASCAR, a end which can undoubtedly discover its means into the perennial spotlight reels. And it could have saved Suárez’s job within the course of after the driving force was usually talked about as a hot-seat candidate heading into the season following a 2023 playoffs miss.
However now Suárez is again within the playoffs this fall, which can open at Atlanta. Regardless of many skeptical followers and drivers, Atlanta’s 2022 reconfiguration has confirmed to be compelling and entertaining.
The monitor was a conventional 1.5-miler for many of its existence, however monitor proprietor Marcus Smith opted to show it right into a Daytona-style superspeedway — albeit retaining the gap — within the face of a lot outcry. Many felt the idea can be a failure, and drivers blanched on the concept of getting to draft on an intermediate monitor.
However nobody can argue with Sunday’s present, which noticed an astounding 48 lead modifications (a monitor file for Atlanta, which has hosted 120 NASCAR Cup Collection races since 1960). There have been additionally 9 crashes, lots of which concerned a number of vehicles, and Fox Sports activities stated solely three drivers weren’t concerned in a wreck sooner or later throughout the race.
Recency bias apart, there’s an argument to be made this end is definitely among the many prime 5 in NASCAR historical past.
It might be arduous to fault somebody who claimed it was the most effective. Positive, there have been some very shut finishes on the bigger superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega, however a digital three-way tie at a 1.5-mile monitor? If reminiscence serves, that will very properly be a primary.
There wasn’t a duel that constructed to the end just like the 2003 Darlington battle between Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch, however each TV and radio calls Sunday initially thought Blaney was the winner – which matches to point out simply how shut of a name this one was. With out the advantage of digital timing and scoring, this was a real photograph end.
Drivers have remained largely skeptical of the Atlanta reconfiguration, pining for the times after they had extra management across the monitor. In a latest nameless ballot carried out by The Athletic, Atlanta was named because the monitor drivers least seemed ahead to.
One driver was quoted as saying, “I want a twister would hit that f—ing place.” Their tune might have modified after Sunday, although, with a number of drivers declaring how a lot enjoyable they’d with the type of racing that allowed them to each draft and cube.
Now, with Atlanta opening the NASCAR Playoffs this fall for the primary time, the monitor’s inventory is instantly on the rise.
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(Picture: Alex Slitz / Getty Photos)
